This invention relates to a panel support apparatus. More specifically this invention pertains to a panel support apparatus which is both horizontally and vertically adjustable so as to enable a generally vertical wall panel or the like to be securely supported upon an uneven or slightly nonplanar floor surface.
In the art of business office layout and design, increasing attention has been directed to modular space utilization within a large generally open floor area. While this concept provides a sense of openness and space, it is also desirable to be able to isolate certain work areas. In this regard free-standing panels have been designed with esthetically appealing and sound-absorbing cloth coverings. These panels are typically six to seven feet in height and are used to partially enclose or block off a desk area from casual traffic and the like.
While the floor or ground surface of modern office buildings are theoretically level, it has been found in practice that whether one encounters a concrete-base floor or steel planking, slight grades, dips or other departures from a desired planar surface are inevitably encountered. Accordingly, it has been found that in many instances free-standing panels tend to cant or tilt away from a preferred vertical posture on commercial flooring surfaces.
In the past, this problem has been at least partially alleviated by the adoption of an adjustable base member for the panel. Such adjustable base members typically entail a horizontal extending flat or shaped metal plate with leveler guides or bearing pads vertically turned upward into the remote ends of the metal plates. A threaded rod is then typically attached to a central portion of the metal plate and projects upwardly into a threaded socket within a lowermost portion of a panel. To level this type of base entails rotating the entire metal plate to adjust the horizontal position of the panel and then rotating leveler guides maintained at each end of the plate in or out to adjust the vertical inclination of the panel.
Although previously known leveling bases have received at least a degree of utilization in the art, difficulties exist in using these prior units. In this connection, it is extremely difficult and cumbersome to lift a panel section by the end-most portion and then pivot the entire base to achieve a desired degree of horizontal leveling of the panel. In this same vane, it is also cumbersome and difficult to achieve a plumb orientation of the panel by rocking the panel structure back and forth while the leveler guides or bearing pads are vertically screwed in and out on a trial and error basis. In addition the central supporting column of previously known base units typically receives a high bending moment during this adjusting process and thus is subject to forces great enough in some instances to damage the base unit. Still further, in those instances where vertical orientation is a particular problem, the end-most areas of the horizontal metal plates will be elevated at one end to such a degree that it presents a safety consideration due to the likelihood of tripping over an upwardly projecting support.
The difficulties suggested in a proceeding are not intended to be exhaustive, but rather are among many which may tend to reduce the effectiveness and user satisfaction of prior panel leveling and support units. Other noteworthy problems may also exist; however, those presented above should be sufficient to demonstrate that adjustable supporting base members for modular wall panels appearing in the art will admit to worthwhile improvement.